A Boriello Brothers restaurant and 7-Eleven convenience store are expected to open in early October in the new 10,000-square-foot Bear Creek Plaza shopping
center at the northeast corner of Eighth Street and Highway 24.
A third commercial unit, located between those two businesses, is still available for lease, according to co-property owner Robert Aertker.
The center represents a complete remodel of what was built in 1987 as a Western Sizzlin' restaurant. Project contractor Fred Robinson said that the only significant
aspect that has not been redone in the one-story building is the Spanish-style roof. Work has included new entryways, interiors, utilities and the addition of a 3,500-
gallon grease trap that is large enough for all three units, he said. Still to come are landscaping, signage and the five gas pump islands for the 7-Eleven.
A proposal for a second one-story commercial building, 9,000 square feet and a short distance east of the current structure, is being drawn up and will be submitted
soon to City Planning, according to Aertker and Robinson. Called Phase 2, the submittal will also include a request for a new driveway into the site from Seventh
Street. The idea is to ease access for people north of the center, who otherwise could only get there in a roundabout way because of Limit and Eighth Street being
one-way between Colorado Avenue and Highway 24, Robinson explained. He added that preliminary discussions with the city about Seventh Street have been
encouraging.
The owner of the 2.36-acre site is Southwestern Commercial Properties LLC, of which Aertker is vice president.
Rob Raia, co-owner of Boriello Brothers, said the local pizza-and-sandwich chain chose the location for its exposure to Highway 24 traffic heading up Ute pass and
to the Westside in general. One of the three current Boriellos is downtown, less than a mile away, but "Westside people don't go past I-25," Raia said.
At about 4,000 square feet with seating capacity for 150, the new store will be the largest Boriello restaurant yet, Raia said. About 30 people will be employed.
The business started in 1999. None of the original owners are still involved. Initially a food vendor for Boriello, Raia moved into an ownership role in 2001, he said.
The other two owners are Bill Stein and Mike Clemente.
The 7-Eleven will be unusual in that it will have a vaulted wood-beam ceiling - a carryover from the original Western Sizzlin' design, Robinson pointed out.
Southwestern began planning this project last year. Bear Creek Plaza is a new name. As recently as last spring, the center was going by the name of "Cimarron
Plaza."